Talk to your staff

Talk to your staff
One important facet of doing business is to talk to the the people who will actually be doing the work at hand. This is particularly important when you're not an expert on the work to be performed. If you don't know the first thing about sonic screwdrivers, but have a staff member who's considered an expert on such matters, it may be wise to consult with them before accepting a large contract for sonic screwdriver maintenance.

Unfortunately, this important aspect is something that often gets missed in modern business dealings. Contracts will be exchanged and signed, and one day the poor tech staff will come to work and discover they're required to implement a system into which they've had no opportunity for review or feedback. It sounds very Dilbert-esque, but I still see this happen from time-to-time.

I also have a sinking feeling that I'm going to be put on the spot asked for a quote for a rather large project, which also carries some rather weighty legal requirements. I've only been given the spec for this project today, and I'm expecting a request for a fixed-price quote tomorrow. The spec isn't very detailed, and while no timeline is specified, I am certain that it will be very strict.

The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Without JavaScript enabled, you might want to
use the classic discussion system instead. If you login, you can remember this preference.